Self-locking, sliding door track



Jan. 3, 1950 A. M OLDS SELF-LOCKING, SLIDING DOOR TRACK Filed March 14, 1947 {/Zf/Wyl fzzan/zi 924 5,

Patented Jan. 3, 1950 V UNITED STATES E T O F FIQE.

2 ,493,162 SELF-LOCKING, SLIDING, Boon TRACK Allan-M; Olds; L65 Angeles, Calif. Application March 14, 1947', seraruamaima 2 claims. (or. 16-96) This invention is a tracking strip for sliding doors or other desired elements or structures.

Sliding types of doors are commonly mounted on fixed tracks on which bear rollers, of one kind or another, sunk in the bottom edge of the door.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple, very substantial and low cost form of track having a top or rail forming body for the door rollers and having a tenon bottom portion adapted to be solidly driven into a complementary channel in a sill or floor plank, or other element on which the door is to run.

Particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide a tenon-type, self-locking track strip for doors.

A further object is to provide a self-stopping, tenon track whereby to effect the proper location and levelling of the top rail portion of the track in a given installation of the track.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tenon track having means whereby it will firmly interlock with the contiguous side walls of a cabinet complementary to the track and into which the bottom portion of the strip may be hammered down, or driven up in some uses of the track.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a door track whose lower or tenon portion is longitudinally grooved to form side walls whose inner faces are of such form, that, as the bottom is driven into a relative channel in a given element the margins of the walls-the lip edges, will automatically expand as they impale the bottom surface of the channel to interlock the installed track.

Also, an object of the invention is to provide a tenon-type track with a grooved bottom face to form side walls having lip edges of acute entering angle whereby as the track is driven into its prepared channel, for installation, the edges will act as knives to shear intercepting chips.

Included also as an object of the invention is the provision of external projections on the tenon portion whereby to effect secure binding or interlocking engagement with the sides ofthe said channel; whether the bottom of the track is grooved or not.

The invention resides in certain advancements in this art as set forth in the ensuing disclosure and having with the above, additional objects and advantages as hereinafter developed, and whose construction, combinations and details of means will be made manifest in the following description of the herewith illustrative embodiment; it being understood that modifications, variations and track adaptations may be resorted to within the scope, spirit and principles of the invention as it is more directly claimed in conclusion hereof.

Figure l is a cross-section of the installed track.

Figure 2 is a perspective of one end of a section of the track.

The track in its disclosed form has a top rail portion 2 of suitable contour to receive a suitable roller 3 mounted in the bottom of a door 4. The elongate lower portion of the track constitutes a tenon 5 which is adapted to be solidly hammered into a prepared, complementary channel l as in a sill or floor structure 8. A feature of this invention is that it has attaching means whereby to bind in the said channel and entirely eliminate the use of nails and expensive labor to fasten down the track.

Preferably this fastening means consists of continuous wedge-section beads l0 pointing downward and having flat keying top faces ll normal to the side surfaces of the tenon portion 5, and as the tenon is driven into the receiving channel 1 these key heads will securely bite into the side faces of the channel.

In order that the track may be reliably stopped in the desired installation position in the floor structure 8 and for the additional function of powerfully expanding the bottom margins of the tenon portion in the channel the rail portion 2 is preferably Wider than the tenon portion to present suitable shoulders l2 along the sides of the track to set firmly down on the floor 8 as the track is driven home in its relative channel. This not only forms a stop gage for installation but, additionally, the overhanging stop shoulders give great lateral stability to the laid track.

To eifect the lateral expansion of the bottom corners of the installed track tenon portion this portion is deeply grooved at 13 longitudinally and the side walls M of the groove are diverged downwardly and outwardly to make the lips l5 of the tenon of entering wedge shape with sufficiently knife-like edges to not only efieot the cutting or shearing of impeding floor chips but, additionally, to cut into the bottom of the channel I should it be of insuflicient depth, as may be desired and as shown in Fig. 1. The result is that the Wedge lips 15 act to expand the walls and the adjacent beads ID into a strong interlock in the channel walls-no nailing therefore being needed.

What is claimed is: a I

l. Self-locking, sliding door track adapted to be installed in a channel forming support and including a top rail track body and a narrower, elongate, longitudinal tenon bottom portion whose outer faces have elongate bead keys to interlock with the walls of the channel support; the tenon portion having a channel along its botton face and the walls of which channel are knife-edged for cutting chips lying in the channel support.

2. A track having an upper body strip and a bottom tenon portion narrower than the body to form stop shoulders and provided with elongate knife edged wedges which relatively diverge along their inner faces to form an elongate channel in the bottom of the tenon portion.

ALLAN M. OLDS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

4 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Frost Mar. 27, 883 Shrefiler, Jr Jan. 29, 89 Stillman Aug. 4, 1896 Keil Jan. 9, 1906 Watson et a1. Apr. 10, 1906 Birdsall Mar. 19, 1907 Scott Apr. 3, 1923 McBride Mar. 16, 1926 Trimbach et a1. Aug. 16, 1932 Van Uum Apr. 18, 1939 ,Irwin, Feb. 4, 1941 Gardner et al July 21, 1942 -King Sept. 14, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Aug. 15, 1935 

